London 2014
The 2014 West End production of Cats is an recurring, limited run at the London Palladium Theatre. The run was extended to late April 2015, with a two week break in March as the Palladium was used for filming. During the summer of 2015 the show is "on tour" to an 8 week run in Blackpool, north England, and will return to the Palladium Autumn/Winter 2015. The production is a development/extension of the 2013-14 UK Tour, with most of the cast bringing their roles over to West End. Lloyd Webber has also extensively revised the production. This production has been heavily marketed, with star billing given to performing artist Nicole Scherzinger as Grizabella. The show has also been tailored to bring more focus to Grizabella's stage time, with her solos being extended by a minute or so each. It has been announced that Kerry Ellis would take over the role from the 9th of February - 25th April, 2015. Financially, the production has been a huge success. The demand for tickets has lead to almost a complete sell-out in one of the largest theatres in the West End and an 8 week extension, thus proving there is still a strong market for Cats 33 years after the original production. Production Specifics Revised Material The most prominent alteration is the re-branding of the Rum Tum Tugger into an urban street cat, replacing his solo in the self-titled song with a rap number. Growltiger's Last Stand has been changed to a much darker, soft shoe shuffle number and the lover's duet cut entirely. The Gumbie Cat's dance break has been replaced by a longer and more technical tap number, as well as new music. For the first time in a British production of Cats, Pouncival and Carbucketty are both ensemble, however the kitten named Pouncival resembles chorus cat George. As an easter egg for fans, the swings appear in the press photos dressed as characters who do not appear in this production - including Babygriz, Electra, and Pouncival. Costume Designs The most obvious costume alterations have been made by the Rum Tum Tugger and Grizabella. Grizabella's costume has been subtly altered to resemble something Nicole Scherzinger would wear in her solo career - a corset and lace-up stockings worn under a fur coat which has been made lighter and more stream-lined. Rum Tum Tugger now wears a backwards ball cap, his hair in dreds, a vest top and harem pants with lots of gold necklaces. Growltiger and his Raffish crew have also had new costumes, now in shades of dark charcoal. There have also been tweaks to the designs across the ensemble, with less blocky, primary colours having been used. This is most apparent in Bombalurina and Jemima's costumes. Creative Team Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber Director: Trevor Nunn Choreographer & Associate Director: Gillian Lynne Choreographer of the Tap Dance Scene: Bill Deamer Associate Director: Chrissie Cartwright Set & Costume Designer: John Napier Makeup Designers: Karen Dawson & John Napier Lightning Designer: Howard Eaton Cast 2014-15 Palladium 2015 Blackpool / Palladium Jellicle Ballroom 2014-15 Season In celebration of the West End pick-up of the show, the Van Parnell bar at the Palladium has been transformed in order to entertain the guests, pre-show. Many show-related activities have been set up, such as: *Poetry Readings of T.S. Eliot's Pieces *Cat-Inspired free Face Painting *Original Costume/Design Gallery *Children's Puzzles, Prizes, Photos *Cat Cream Bar (drinks and ice cream) The room opens two hours prior to the show, 12:30 for matinees and 5:30 for evenings. This has been used as a promotion tool to market the run. The gallery includes designs for every character, many press cuttings, various speciality costumes on display and things of interest to fans. The Jellicle Ballroom was not reprised for the 2015 season, apart from the free face painting and early hours bar. Jellicle Ballroom Gallery Gallery London 2014 Palladium Nicole 2.jpg|Nicole Scherzinger in redesigned Grizabella costume Palladium Nicole 3.jpg|Nicole Scherzinger in redesigned Grizabella costume Palladium Macavity 1.jpg|Cameron Ball in the new Macavity costume - black front instead of white Palladium Deme Bomba Jelly.jpg|Zizi Strallen as Demeter, Charlene Ford as Bombaurina, Clare Rickard as Jellylorum Palladium Deme Bomba.jpg|Zizi Strallen as Demeter, Charlene Ford as Bombaurina Palladium Tugger 2.jpg|Antoine Murray-Straughan as "Street Cat" Tugger Palladium Group 1.jpg|Full cast, including some swings Palladium Group 2.jpg|Full cast at the Palladium Palladium Group 3.jpg|Ensemble including swings as Victor, Babygriz, Electra, and Pouncival. Palladium Griz Kerry Ellis 2.jpg|Kerry Ellis and Nicholas Pound as Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy Palladium Griz Kerry Ellis 3.jpg|Kerry Ellis as Grizabella Blackpool 2015 Uk15 02 Cast.jpg| Uk15 03 Victoria.jpg| Uk15 04 Gumbie Trio.jpg| Uk15 05 Jenny.jpg| Uk15 06 Demeter.jpg| Uk15 07 Tugger.jpg| Uk15 08 Tugger.jpg| Uk15 09 Griz.jpg| Uk15 10 Mungo Rumple.jpg| Uk15 11 Cast.jpg| Uk15 12 Old Deut.jpg| Uk15 13 Munkus.jpg| Uk15 14 Rumpus.jpg| Uk15 15 Ball.jpg| Uk15 16 Growltiger.jpg| Uk15 17 Skimble.jpg| Uk15 18 Macavity.jpg| Uk15 19 Bomba Demeter.jpg| Uk15 20 Demeter.jpg| Uk15 21 Misto.jpg| Uk15 22 Griz Deut.jpg| Uk15 23 Addressing.jpg| Uk15 Grizabella.jpg| Press Call Palladium Press 1.jpg|Press launch, July 2014 Palladium Press 2.jpg|Press launch, July 2014 Palladium Press 3.jpg|Press launch, July 2014 at 6:00 Lloyd Webber outlines his plans to change Growltiger and Rum Tum Tugger. Category:Productions